I was maybe 10 when I heard Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the the Cradle" for the first time. It really made me sad, and I would get choked up pretty much every time I heard it. As I got older, though, I started to feel that song was just too blunt, too manipulative, and I got over any like I used to have for the song. (To give credit where it's due, Ugly Kid Joe really helped me get over this song also.)
As is typical for me, what I'm listening to right now is heavily influenced by what I'm seeing on TV. A couple of times over the past few weeks, I've seen the trailer for the upcoming film The Boat That Rocked, about pirate radio broadcast to England in the 1960s from a boat in the North Sea. The trailer features Cat Stevens' "Father and Son", and after hearing it on the trailer a couple of times, I pulled out my Cat Stevens collection and started listening to this song over and over during the last few weeks.
In my opinion, this is the song that people should be listening to insted of that "Cat's in the Cradle". It affects me the same way as "Cat's in the Cradle" did, but in a much more poetic way that can better stand up to multiple listens. So, why are people listening to that Harry Chapin song, or worse, the Ugly Kid Joe version?
Am I wrong about this? Is "Cat's in the Cradle" actually the better song? Or, is there something else that I'm not even aware of that fits this particular micro-genre more appropriately? I'll make you a deal, dear reader. Vote for your favorite, then explain in the comments why you choose what you do. In exchange for you participation, I will embed here for your viewing pleasure the trailer for The Boat That Rocked:
The Best Song For Capturing The Sometimes Strained and Tortured Relationships Betwixt Fathers and Their Sons:
